Virginia’s governor and attorney general are under attack for wearing black face or KKK garb decades ago. Many claim it a racist act, with a prescribed penalty.

As a conservative, I have little in common with these gentlemen. That aside, though, I defend their right to due process and the presumption of innocence.

Blackface was once widely accepted and popularized by Al Jolsen, a white entertainer in the ’30s. Eddie Murphy played in whiteface in a television sketch in the ’80s. And, the children’s rhyme eeny, meeny, miny, moe was chanted by thousands of children, oblivious to the racial slur contained within some versions.

Today’s rap music, with demeaning lyrics, and the use of profanity in public discourse, once unacceptable, is now commonplace.

Before labeling anyone a racist, consider the intent.

Was it intended to do harm or be humorous and entertaining? Was it done in an innocent, perhaps naive and insensitive, manner? When did it occur? What were the prevailing cultural norms?